Countries in Crisis on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin, December 14, 15,
17, 18 at 8 pm

TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - Ontario is made up of a diverse population with ties to nations around the globe. When those nations face difficulties, solid information is what we need most. Next week for four nights, TVO's flagship current affairs program, "The Agenda with Steve Paikin," will be taking an in-depth look at some nations that are facing crisis.

Each night on Countries Week, "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" will feature guest experts discussing and debating the roots of the crisis in each country, and what should be done next.

Schedule:

Monday: South Pacific Island Nations (environmental crisis) - The Pacific islands comprise 22 nations with 7 million residents. Perhaps no other countries in the world are more at risk of global warming and rising sea levels than the Island Nations. We'll examine their plight, and discuss the First World's moral obligation to help these nations.

Tuesday: Iceland (economic crisis) - Iceland was hard hit by the global recession because of the failure of its banking system and a subsequent economic crisis. How will the country with a population of only 310,000 bounce back from the economic brink?

Thursday: Your Agenda - viewers pick the nation at tvo.org/agenda

Friday: United Arab Emirates (economic crisis) - The global financial crisis ended the oil and real estate fuelled boom in the world's biggest oil producing region, sending one of its top economies -- the UAE -- into a downturn this year. Coupled with Dubai's debt problems, worries are growing that the UAE will not be able to return to solid growth in the near future. What will this do to the global economy? What can we learn from Dubai's debt problems?

For more information or to participate in Your Agenda, please visit www.tvo.org/agenda.

About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. For more information, visit tvo.org.

Where to find TVO

Cable channel 2 (channel may vary in some areas), Bell TV channel 265, Shaw Direct channel 353.

For further information: Media contact: Paul Ginis, TVO Communications, [phone] x2445, [e-mail]